Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-04-18
AFRICA.
A Missionary Tells Of Twenty.
four Years, Work.

4liAluy 4SA AIs ShuASA W0o WCh AlOu
last night, the occasion being descrlp
tion of missionary life among the Afri-
cans by VIM. Mellew, who. was mis-
sionary there for twenty.four years
Mr.. Mellew had a large map of Africs
hung behind the pulpit on which he
would designate the localities he wished
to describe. He commenced his'lecture
by saying that tares have been sown all
over Africa for many years, but now
good seed is being sown. He thought
that the people of the United States
ought to know more about Africa than
they do, for the reason that for two GEN.
turles the sons and daughters of that
country have done so much for this
country. He enumerated several sta.
tions where mission work has been done,
and remarked that the country covered
could be hidden by two fingers of the
hand. This people have not done much
for Africa yet, but during the past three
or four years greater efforts have been
made in that direction. Referring
to the map he pointed out the
routes of the great explorers
whom he said had been benefit in point.
ing out the routes and in preparing the
people for missionary work. DR.. Liv.
ingstone's route for the sixteen years he
spent in Africa was carefully marked in
red lines, as was also the spot on which
his wife died while on her way to join
him. Mr.. Mellew pointed out the place
where Livingstone was met by Stanley
on the border of lake, and also the
place where Livingstone died alone in a
hut. He said that Stanley had been
preparing the way for missionary work
and had won the people over by pres
ents and kindness. Mr.. Mellew's sta.
tion was at Natal, which has now mail
service by steamer, telegraphic commu.
nication with the Cape, a railroad $50
miles long and pushing into the interior.
After finishing with the description of
the country, Mr.. Mellew pointed to q
picture of native African in costume,
and said the people were not such great
savages as had been supposed. Mis-.
sionaries could go among them without
fear, for they were of quiet and kindly
disposition. They lived in round grass
huts ten feet high, into which they
crawl through low entrance. He had
frequently crawled into the huts
with the natives, and had been
treated we'll while in that country. He
never had to hide his money in his boots
to keep it from being stolen, as he was
forced to do in this country. There
they never had to lock their doors and
windows, but left them open for the free
entrance of air. He he had foend it
very unpleasant to get into civilization
and hear so much talk about the neces.
sity of locking the doors. Livingston
had left wagon seven years, and re-
turning had found it and everything it
contained just as he had left it. The
reason for this was that they had good
laws wall executed. while in this cou airy
there are good laws unexecuted. That
is the difference between the two coun-
tries. There they do not put man in a
Jail, but they kill him. They sympathize
more with the innocent than with the
guilty, whereas here the innocent ones
who are killed are soon forgotten. In
that country there are to be seen none
of the bold females who walk the
streets, and an illegitimate child would be
curiosity. They have good common
sense when this life's concerns are con-
sidered. His children had heard no
profane language until they came to this
country, and had never seen q man
drunk until liquor was introduced by
the white people. That was the bright
side of the people, but the dark side
was darker than the other was bright.
Some of their laws are cruel and are exc
cuted in a cruel manner. A man can
buy as many wives as he wants. The
witch law is as cruel as it is unnecessary
Many girls have been killed because
they married the men of their choice
instead of those whom the parents de-
sired. The slave trade is to be deplored
Only one out of every ten taken in the
interior lives to reach the coast. The
missionary goes to Africa to counterac
the influence of the man who takes
rum there. When missionaries gC
there they meet with many difficulties
the chief of which is the fact that the
people do not want anything. II they
can inspire them with want they are
certain to succeed in teaching them tc
inquire about the life hereafter, ant
when this point is reached the mission
ary feels that he has grthered something
more preciOua than diamonds